Advantage India: Philippines new security policy draws battle lines in South China Sea

The rollout of a new National Security Policy by the Philippines has provided a good opportunity for India to further expand its defence ties with Southeast Asian nations in the face of China’s hegemony in the region, writes ETV Bharat’s Aroonim Bhuyan.

New Delhi:With the Philippines rolling out its third National Security Policy (NSP) for the period 2023-2028 that stresses “national sovereignty and territorial integrity” as a key point, India has now got a good opportunity to further boost its defence footprint in Southeast Asia in the face of China’s belligerence in the region.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr released the NSP 2023-2028 earlier this week. The new policy has identified the following as the country’s national security interests: national sovereignty and territorial integrity; political stability, peace, and public safety; economic strength and solidarity; ecological balance and climate change resiliency; national identity, harmony, and culture of excellence; cyber, information, and cognitive security; and regional and international peace and solidarity.

The Philippines is among those nations in Southeast Asia that have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. In 2016, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled that China violated the Philippines’ rights in the South China Sea, one of the busiest commercial shipping routes in the world. The court accused China of interfering with the Philippines' fishing and petroleum exploration, building artificial islands in the waters and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone. The tribunal held that fishermen from the Philippines had traditional fishing rights in Mis-chief Reef and Scarborough Islands in the South China Sea and that China had interfered with these rights by restricting their access. The court held that Chinese law enforcement vessels unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels in the region.

Following the release of the new NSP by the Philippines, China reacted strongly on Thursday. An article in The Global Times newspaper, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, stated that Manila “risks becoming a 'bridgehead' of US' anti-China push with new national security policy”.

Why this assumes significance is that, while former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte was seen as pro-China, sitting President Marcos Jr is known for his pro-US stance. This is why Beijing is riled by Manila’s new NSP.

“The Philippines hosted two of the largest overseas military bases of the US during the Cold War,” Chintamani Mahapatra, Founder and Honorary Chairman of the Bhubaneswar-based Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies, told ETV Bharat. “Those bases were closed after the end of the Cold War. The threatening rise of China has led to a renewal of US-Philippines strategic collaborations and Beijing sees this as part of a containment strategy of the US. The Philippines had over the years developed deep economic relations with China, but Chinese muscle-flexing in Mis-chief Reif and Scarborough islands, claimed by the Philippines, has caused tremendous concerns in Manila.”

According to Mahapatra, the 2016 verdict of the ICJ in favour of the Philippines has been blatantly ignored by China leading to further expansion of differences between Beijing and Manila.

“The latest National Security Policy of the Philippines is a concrete reflection of the country's threat perception,” he said. “In a way. India and many Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, have realised that the theory of the ‘peaceful rise of China’ is a myth.”

The Philippines is among a number of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with which India has been boosting defence and security cooperation in recent years under New Delhi’s Act East policy in the face of China’s hegemony in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region. In fact, in January last year, the Philippines became the first country with which India signed a deal to export the Brahmos missile.

In June this year, when Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Enrique Manalo visited New Delhi, a joint statement was issued following a meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar which highlighted the importance the two countries attached to defence and maritime security cooperation.

“On defence cooperation, both ministers expressed keen interest to continue to work together in this sector, including through the regular or upgraded official level interaction among defence agencies, the opening of the resident defence attache office in Manila, consideration of India’s offer for a concessional line of credit to meet Philippines’ defence requirements, acquisition of naval assets, and expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response, among others,” it stated.

“Acknowledging the growing importance of the maritime sector for both countries, both ministers welcomed the bilateral maritime dialogue and the increased cooperation on hydrography. Both ministers emphasised the utility of maritime domain awareness and in this context called for early operationalization of the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the White Shipping Agreement between the Indian Navy and the Philippines Coast Guard. They looked forward to the signing of the MoU on Enhanced Maritime Cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Philippines Coast Guard.”

According to Mahapatra, India has been developing close defence relationships with the Philippines and a few other ASEAN members “not to confront but to defend their respective security interests from Chinese belligerent behaviour”.

“The goal actually should be to prevent the Chinese goal to establish hegemony over the Indo-Pacific region,” he said. “China may be concerned over India selling missiles to the Philippines, but it cannot have any legitimate objection in the backdrop of its defence ties with unsavoury regimes in the region. India and the Philippines are two democratic countries and they should protect their national interests through mutual cooperation.”

According to Premesha Saha, Fellow in the Strategic Studies Programme in the Observer Research Foundation think tank, the countries of Southeast Asia are trying to diversify their defence partners.

“India is emerging as a strong defence and security partner,” Saha said. “This is a good opportunity for India to expand its defence ties with countries of that region. Relations between India and Southeast Asian nations are not limited to cultural and civilisational ties anymore.”